Inflatable dress form



' Fleb. 18, 1958 L. N. QUAINTANCE INFLATABLE DRESS FORM Y Filed April 18, 1957 n INVENTOIL f o4/5r A( @wwwa/cf. BY y ATTORNEY United States Patent O INFLATABLE DRESS FORM Lovey N. Quaintance, Kingman, Ariz.

Application April 18, 1957, Serial No. 653,695

2 Claims. (Cl. 223-67) This invention pertains to improvements in inflatable and collapsible dress forms and is particularly directed to an inflatable form of flexible construction over which is placed a non-expandable cover giving the desired configuration when the flexible inner member is inated.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an inflatable and collapsible dress form which requires a minimum of effort to set up and which may be deflated and packed away with a minimum consumption of storage space.

Another object is to provide an inatable and collapsible dress form with a centrally positioned demountable support tube serving as the basic frame work to secure the inllatable form in position for use.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an inflatable dress form with a centrally positioned hollow tube which is self-sealing in the form when the form is inliated but which may be readily removed from the form, when deflated, for folding up and storage of the form assembly.

Further features and advantages of this invention will appear from a detailed description of the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of au inflatable land collapsible dress form incorporating the features of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly broken away, showing the dress form of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

As an example of one embodiment of this invention there is shown an inflatable and deflatable dress form having a main body or bag portion of air-tight structure over which is placed the non-elastic cover form 10a incorporating an inflation valve 11 and having a base 12 upon which are provided suitable feet or suction cups 13 so that the unit may be placed upon a table for use.

A main support tube 14 is provided having an integral bottom flange 15 and a bayonet notch lock at 16 at its upper end which engages a locking piu 17 iixed in a plate member 18 suitably vulcanized in the bag 10 as best shown in Fig. 3. A counterbore 19 is formed in the bag 10 around the stem 20 and the pin 17. This counterbore 19 is formed in a boss 21 formed integral with the bag 10 and slidingly engages the outside diameter 14a of the tube 14. The lower portion of the tube extends through a bore 22 formed in the lower bottom portion 12 through the integral boss 23 of the bottom 12 of the bag 10.

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The tube is inserted up through the bore 22 and into the bore 19 and locked in place around the pin 17 by its notch 16. The bag is then inilated through the valve 11 and the lip ends 24 and 25 of the boss 21 and the boss 23 press in air-tight connection against the outside diameter surface 14a of the tube 14 so as to provide a tight seal for the entire unit when inlated. The tube 14 functions therefore to provide an additional support for the inflatable form and together with the bottom plate 15 engaging the bottom 12 of the bag forms a rigid support for it when inated and placed upon the table. It is also possible to present the hollow tube 14 over a suitable pedestal support for placing it upon the oor surface for use in long dresses and the like.

After the device has been deflated by proper operation of the valve 11 the tube may be rotated to unhook the notch 16 from the pin 17 and the tube withdrawn because at this time the pressure on the lips 24 and 25 is relieved and the rod may be readily slid out from the unit. The tube 14 may be made in two or more pieces placed together in air-tight manner if desired for more compact storage of the form when deilated.

While the apparatus herein disclosed and described constitutes a preferred form of the invention, it is also to be understood that the apparatus is capable of mechanical alteration without departing from the spirit of the invention and that such mechanical arrangement and commerci-al adaptation as fall within the scope of the ap pendent claims are intended to be included herein.

Having thus fully set forth and described this invention what is claimed and desired to be obtained by United States Letters Patent is:

l. An inflatable dress form including an air-tight bag having a bottom, a bore through said bottom, a counterbore inside the top of said bag, a stem in said counterbore having a diametrically disposed locking pin lixed therein, a support tube having an integral bottom ange engaging the bottom of said bag, bayonet locking notches on the upper end of said tube adapted to lock around said pin when said liange engages the bottom of said bag, said bore and counterbore having lip means formed by bosses in said bag forming an air-tight seal with said tube when said bag is iniiated.

2. In an inatable dress lform having an air-tight bag, a bottom formed integral with said bag, an inwardly projecting integral boss on said bottom having a bore therethrough, a boss formed inwardly in the top of said form having a counterbore formed therein, a locking plate having a stem coaxially mounted in said counterbore and rigidly fixed in said bag, a locking pin diametrically lixed in said stem extending outwardly therefrom to the counterbore surface, a support tube having bayonet locking notches in its upper end adapted to engage said pin, and an abutment flange fixed on the other end of said tube engaging the outside of the bottom of said bag when said notches in the upper end of said tube are locked about said pin to rigidly restrain and support said tube when inflated.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

